John Crist posts first message in 8 months: ‘Biggest hypocrite was me’
Christian comedian John Crist returned to social media on Wednesday after an eight-month hiatus during which he sought help following accusations of sexual misconduct.
"It has been over eight months since I posted anything on the internet and for a guy who used to post content literally every single day, that has felt like forever,” Crist said in a new Instagram video.
In 2019, the beloved comedian canceled his tour, had his Netflix special put on hold and a book postponed due to sexual misconduct claims made by several women. The allegations included sexting multiple women, having sexual relationships with women who were married, and giving away tickets to his shows in return for sexual favors. As a result, Crist decided to stop everything in his professional life to get help.
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“Let me say first and foremost. Thank you for the love and care and support that you guys have shown me. It meant the world,” he said in response to the outpouring of prayers he received.
“I was in a treatment facility for four months and I was away from my phone and my sister would just send me letters from people that had reached out to me or sent a letter to our office, our website and people that caring for me, and concerned about me, praying for me, wishing for my restoration and healing. I'm incredibly humbled to receive that support, certainly undeserved based on decisions that I've made in my personal life, but incredibly humbling to receive.”
The Christian comedian, who was popular for making fun of the western church culture, admitted that he was surprised to receive so much support from those in his community.
"I had assumed that I lived in a community of people that would be the first to look down on me and judge me and point fingers at me and I felt nothing but the opposite throughout this whole process. Let me just say how hopeful and encouraging that was to be working on my own mental health, and my recovery and healing and have a bunch of people rooting for me and supported me meant the world,” he testified.
“That being said, I want to say that I made a lot of poor choices in my personal life. I've made a lot of decisions that hurt myself, that hurt other people, and embarrassed myself and had consequences and I could look you in the eye and own that.”
The Georgia native admitted that at the beginning of the scandal he wanted to jump online and “justify, rationalize” and even “minimize” his actions. But after going through the treatment he realized no one is to blame but himself.
"Those choices were on me and that those decisions were mine and no one else's and no one else is to be blamed. I point the fingers at no one else but myself, and I made those choices and that taught me,” the 36-year-old maintained.
"I had a problem, and I needed to get some help. I think that's the simplest way to say it. That's what I've been doing for the last eight months and that's what I will continue to do, to put a priority on my own mental health.”
Crist also acknowledged his own hypocrisy.
“Perhaps I think the most embarrassing part is that I make a living, all my comedy videos were pointing out the hypocrisy in a lot of ways.”
He mentioned his “honest football coach” and “parent of Disney” videos where he makes fun of perception and reality.
"The most embarrassing part of this whole thing is the biggest hypocrite in all this was me, that I was portraying a person on the internet that I was not behaving like privately,” he admitted.
He ended by saying, "I can look at you in the eye and tell you that I'm part of the problem, that I could also be a part of the solution and I think that's what I'd like to be. I've been doing that in my personal life and I'd like to make that transition to continue to do that publicly.”
